Two And A Half Years Later
by Yujianlong
Summary: Ace comes back from the dead and goes looking for the remains of his family. Marco/Ace in later chapters. BE WARNED: This is AU, Post Marine Fort Arc. Ace will live and there will be Shounen-Ai. Don't like, don't read! M for later chapters
1. Waking

Dear Reader,

This is first of all a Marco/ Ace fanfiction.

Another thing is, that it is AU. I really _love_ Oda's work. But a part of me cannot (and never will) accept the death of Portgas D. Ace. I just can't live with it...

This story is about Ace coming back from the dead - you have been warned.

_Two And A Half Years Later_ is not one of my most amazing pieces of writing. But I really like this baby.  
>I will not try to make perfect descriptions of surroundings or people. I'll concentrate no short moments, described in the same short way a person may live through them.<p>

Disclaimer: Ace, Marco and all the other's belong to Eiichiro Oda.

And now: Enjoy!

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><p>When Ace opened his eyes, he could only see darkness. He blinked a few times but the darkness remained. The only result he got was dust in his eyes. Brilliant.<p>

He vaguely remembered being dead and immediately wondered why the particles in his eyes itched so much then. Slowly the memories returned and he started to remember what happened in Marine Fort. "Teach.."  
>He was so going to kill that bastard.<p>

Carefully he tried to move his fingertips. He touched cold humidity and dirt. Where the fuck was he? Fire... He needed light. Concentrating he turned his consciousness inwardly and reached for his devil fruit power. Heat began to raise as he alight his fingers and then his hand.

The darkness still remained, only disturbed by a faint red glow at the edge of his vision. While trying to think of where the hell he was, he noticed that the air grew thinner. He could barely breathe anymore. Cursing silently he thought of the only thing he actually could do. Apparently he was buried in some kind of earthy ground.

Carefully he heated his whole body up until the ground around him became a slimy liquid mass. He forced his fiery self upwards through the earth until he reached fresh air. Making sure he really was free, he called back the flames and looked around.

What he saw made him shiver. He was sitting on a grave, surrounded by flowers. Some of them burnt, a damage obviously caused by his inattentive escape from... well... His own grave.  
>Beside his gravestone stood a much larger one. Ace swallowed audibly. "Pops..."<p>

With trembling limbs and tears in his eyes he stood up and stepped away from the graves. Before he could decide what to do next or where to run, he stumbled over a half empty bottle of sake and a newspaper.  
>Picking up the latter, he immediately recognized his younger brothers grinning face. Mumbling to himself, he read the headline above the Wanted Poster. "Strawhat Pirates alive!"<p>

Ace' eyes flew over the words as he read about the sudden disappearance of his brothers crew after what happened at Marine Fort. What disturbed him the most was the fact that Whitebeard's and his own death lay two years in the past - at least.

When had that newspaper been dropped here? _Who _had dropped it here? A small smirk crossed Ace' features: "Marco, of course."

Looking around, the devil fruit user decided to search the island in the hope of finding some hint of where he was the current date and all these other unimportant things. And then of course - Food! His stomach audible rumbled in demand. So fare, he seemed to be ok.

After wandering around for what seemed like hours to him, he returned to the graves. Sitting down in front of Whitebeard's gravestone, Ace grabbed for the bottle of sake. Taking a deep gulp of the liquid, he started talking.

"Ya know... Even if I don't have a clue what happened after I died. Or how in Davy Jone's name I made it back into this world... I wish I met you on the other side. I never got the chance to properly thank you for all you've done for me.."

"I hope the others are ok. I'll have to find them, just to check... They're our family after all, right?" With another sip from the bottle, Ace grinned.  
>"I'll be back, old man - promised."<p>

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><p>So, this already was the first chapter. As I said, nothing long... <p>

Please Review - Thanks!


	2. Whitebeard's Sons

First of all, I want to thank all the people reading, following and reviewing this story!

You make me so incredably happy! It absolutely made my day to see how many people had added this story to their Alerts!

I love you! And I sooo hope that I will not disappoint you...

So here is the next chapter.

I quite like this part.

Disclaimer: Ace, Marco and all the other's belong to Eiichiro Oda.

And now: Enjoy!

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><p>It took Portgas D. Ace a few weeks to build a ship (or what he <em>called<em> a ship). In the whole time he didn't return to the graves once.  
>When he finally finished, he walked back up the hill to say goodbye to Whitebeard. Some when during a day of hard work the devil fruit user had realized that his tattoo had been ripped away by Akainu's attack.<p>

"I'll get it replaced, you know that. Right?" His trademark grin spread across his face. "I've got to go now. Otherwise I'll never find them. Good bye, old man. We'll see us again. I know it"

The trip across the seas was a pain. He was travelling in a really bad excuse of a ship and promptly hit a thunderstorm in his first week back on the water.  
>Smirking he lead his ship straight into the raging storm, enjoying the fight with the power of the sea. He was back where he belonged. And he was free.<p>

On the first island he reached he got himself a proper boat and some information. Apparently his nakama were still sailing under Whitebeard's flag, but now under Marco's command. A few allies had left them, but generally they seemed okay.

For once, Fortuna had mercy with him. There were no Marines on the island he had landed on. Earning himself some money by helping the townsfolk, Ace was actually able to pay for the food he would need on his journey. He left the island without being noticed or recognized by anyone.

His death was exactly two years, six month, three weeks and one day ago, when he left the small island again and headed towards the rough direction he thought the Black Moby should be located.

His instincts had been right. Only a few weeks after he departed from the island, Ace was able to spot the sails of the black Moby Dick on the horizon. And suddenly all his courage and cockiness was gone.

Forcing his boat to slow down, he kept his distance to the bigger boat, watching it from afar for more than two days.  
>It was a scorching hot afternoon, when Ace made his decision. Even though he had promised Whitebeard to find his family – which he technically had – he could not approach them. He had to turn around and somehow find a way to survive without them.<p>

His eyes glittered with tears as he hoisted his sail. He had nowhere to go home to. Whitebeard's tattoo that was supposed to mark him for the rest of his life was gone. He (and no one else) had caused the death of so many members of Whitebeard's crew. He had caused his father's death..!

How could he have thought to ever return to them?

Right when he was turning his ship, he spotted a burning blue form above him in the sky. Curse him and his bad luck - Marco! If the phoenix would see him, there was no chance for an easy escape.  
>"Well, only if he still wants me anywhere close to his ship."<p>

Sighing he awaited his fate. Ace forced his typical grin to spread across his features and looked up to meet Marco's eyes.

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><p>I know Ace got a bit OOC.<p>

But bearing in mind he always doubted that he deserved the love of anyone, I hope I got him quite ok still.  
>And who could blame him for being unsure of himself after what happened in Marine Fort..?<p>

When I was reading about Ace's past, I really had to cry. It's just so sad what happened to him.  
>I really wanted to hug him then and there.<p>

Hope you liked it!

Read and Review! - Thanks.


	3. Marco

Here we go again!

I somehow really like that one. I tried to _not _get Marco too OOC. Please tell me what you think, 'kay?

I always try to keep the characters as IC as possible. (Having shounen-ai of course needs a bit OOC, though) And as a woman writing male behaviour is always difficult.

Besides, Marco is not easy to see through. _

Thank you all for 200+ hits! I still can't believe it. ;_;  
>You people make me so happy!<p>

Special thanks to: BrokenBridges, Jumpingbeans480, Shiary, and naruhime87 for reviewing!

Disclaimer: Ace, Marco and all the other's belong to Eiichiro Oda.

Enjoy!

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><p>Marco was on his usual control flight over the area around the Moby Dick, when he spotted the orange hat. After a second of irrational hope, he forced himself to remember that Ace was long dead.<p>

Although the events of Marine Fort lay more than two years in the past, the pain over the loss of his younger brother was still much too much. With an angry growl he headed towards the small boat.

It didn't matter that the boy down there was probably absolutely innocent.  
>It didn't matter that he was most likely wearing that hat out of no bad intention.<p>

Marco was ready to crush the ship with its charge to pieces. Usually he considered himself to be a calm person. By all gods, he needed to be! There was no other way to survive being captain of Whitebeard's Sons. They were driving him crazy half the time. And it wasn't even half as bad as it had been when Ace and Thatch were still on board.

Speeding up, Macro charged for the little ship, ready to strike. Then the boy with the orange hat lifted his head and looked the phoenix directly in the eyes.

The captain of Whitebeard's Sons felt his heart skip a beat. There was no way he would ever forget this face. Not these warm, dark eyes. Not the freckles or that fucking cocky grin.

"Ace..?"

Marco slowed down, still heading straight for the ship. This couldn't be! He had buried the boy's corpse more than two years ago. He had visited the grave only six month ago!

The boy, that looked so much like Ace, stepped aside, leaving Marco enough space to land on the tiny little boat. The phoenix carefully landed, only partially switching back to his human form. He didn't trust this situation. He had dreamed about Ace somehow coming back so many times in the past...

"I'd really like to explain why I am back amongst the living. But I can't. So if you're up to kill me for what I did back in Marine Fort, I'm not going to stop you."

Ace's cocky grin was faked, Marco noticed. This voice – _his voice_ - trembled ever so slightly, while he started talking bullshit all over again.

Completely losing control over his emotion, the phoenix let all his guard down and launched himself at Ace. He flung his arms around the younger man, holding him in a crushing embrace. The small boat rocked dangerously strong below them, but Marco couldn't bring himself to care.

He could feel the familiar heat of the fireboy's body in his arms. His zoan creature recognized the other fire, which meant that this truly was Ace. His younger brother, his nakama; Marco had him back.

Marco hadn't cried in a long time. Somehow he had always kept his self control. But here and now, the phoenix couldn't hold back. His body shook under his sobs, as he held Ace close.

After a few seconds of surprise, Ace closed his arms around his nakama's body and hugged him. Marco's skin was cool against his own, always had been.  
>"Hey… you're not crying, are you?" The firefist asked after a short while. He felt Marco shaking his head against his shoulder without lifting his head. Ace smiled, knowing exactly that the phoenix was lying. He could <em>feel<em> the tears on his naked shoulder.

"Well then. Mind letting go? I have to find an island where I can refill my supplies. And I guess I need to find myself a crew. The Marines will not be too pleased to see me back around the ocean."

Marco abruptly loosened his grip only to look at Ace angrily. "You stupid, yoi? You're going to come back home right now!" The raven haired man lifted a hand and wiped away a stubborn tear that was running down Marco's cheek. A sad smile crossed Ace's features.

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><p>Well... Making Marco into a crybaby is not too clever. But hey, he sees Ace for the first time after two and a half years during which he believed that the guy was <em>dead.<em>

Tell me if the OOC is too strong!

Next chapter might take a bit longer. I'm not really sure about how to get it over with the next step, so...

Read and Review, please - Thanks!

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><p>Another thing...<p>

I had this idea for another fanfiction.

And I haven't even properly finished 'Two And A Half Years Later' in my mind… oh dear...

Fiction would be fem!Ace/Marco. Post Marine Fort Arc.  
>Ace somehow survives Akainu's attack. After taking care of him, Trafalgar Law mentions to Marco that something is very strange about his nakama.<br>Upon entering Ace's room, Marco clearly can see what is strange. How on earth will he and the crew adjust to Ace suddenly being female.

Now the question for you:

**Would you like reading something like that?**

The story would be more detailed and with longer chapters than 'Two And A Half Years Later'… But I'd probably upload only on a biweekly basis, due to my this fiction here.


	4. Flight on the Phoenix's Back

As it seems my quick uploads make everyone extremely happy, here the next chapter.

I had 199 hits on the story yesterday... You people make me soo happy.

Disclaimer: Ace, Marco and all the other's belong to Eiichiro Oda.

Enjoy!

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><p>He shook his head. "The Moby Dick is no longer my home. Look.." With these words he half turned and showed Marco his scared back.<p>

"Ace... Why should a scar, received in battle to save your brother, be a reason against coming home? Tattoos can be redone. Your loyalty towards our father is not shown by a tattoo alone."

But Ace still shook his head, taking a hesitant step back. "You don't understand. It was my fault. It is my fault. Because of me Pops is dead."

Marco's reaction was not quite what Ace had expected. He hit him. Hard. And before Ace could do anything in reaction to it, Marco had changed back to his phoenix form turning his back towards the younger man.

The black haired pirate knew well what that meant. When he had been new in the crew, Marco had sometimes taken him along on his controlling flights. No one else was allowed to ride the burning phoenix. Only Ace would sometimes be able to climb on the flaming back, seeing the ocean from above.

"You still want me back on the ship... After all I've done?" The look in the calm eyes was very close to reproachful. As close as a bird's expression could come to this at least.

Hesitantly, Ace climbed onto Marco's back, feeling the familiar touch of flaming blue feathers between his fingers. The sensation caused a flood of emotions to rush trough him and the young man fought with tears.

Marco took his time to return to the Moby Dick. There was no doubt that he would stand behind Ace. But he was not so sure about the others. After all, the boy on his back was supposed to be dead. But there was no way he would let Ace go. Never again...

Landing on deck was not an easy task. Ace was heavier than he used to be and Marco was out of practice. When the boy slipped from his back, Marco immediately missed the warmth the other radiated. They were both using flames but they had soon discovered that only one of them radiated heat. Marco's fire was cool, while Ace' body could easily be used as bedpan.

Jozu was the first to approach Marco after the landing, stopping dead in his tracks when he spotted Ace. His trademark grim expression turned into one of pure disbelieve. A toneless how could be read on his face.  
>Vista was next. He looked at Ace in the same disbelieving way as Jozu did.<p>

"Um.. hi?" Ace tried nervously. He couldn't imagine how this must look and feel like for his former nakamas. He should have fled when he still had the chance to. Now it was too late.  
>How could he? He was putting his whole family's life in danger. Should the Marine find out that he was alive, they would start to hunt him once again. And without Whitebeards protection, they stood no chance against the admirals. Sure, Marco was strong, but even the phoenix couldn't defeat even one of them.<p>

"In situations like these, I really miss Thatch. He would have known what to say straight away." Vista murmured, hesitantly looking Ace in the eyes.

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><p>Well well...<p>

I'm working on chapter six currently. So I should be able to keep the quick pace.

Hope you liked it!

Read & Review, please - Thanks!

Regarding the other story: Chapter two is almost done. I may start uploading somewhen during the following two weeks, so keep your eyes open, dears! ^_^


	5. No Surprises on the Moby Dick

Hello again, my dears.

You crazy peolpe make me soooo happy. I love you all!

This is going to be a rather unspectacular chapter - and extremely short.

But there is some first fanservice in the end.

I got a few interesting reviews on the last chapter. Thank you all again.

Let's see what I can make with them.

Disclaimer: Boys still belonging to Oda. Sad, but true...

Enjoy!

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><p>Marco had planned to keep Ace's arrival a quiet affair. But of course this didn't work. Not on a pirate ship; not on the Moby Dick. Well, and having a shining orange hat, might be another reason. Whatever the reason, the next commander passing by spotted Ace straight away.<p>

Izou stopped dead in his tracks, starring at the orange item. Ace felt someone looking at him and turned around. This now lead to him facing the crew on the main deck.

Ace made a stumbling step back, feeling unsure of facing his former comrades. Marco gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Vista, find the other commanders. Jozu, give notice to the kitchen. This asks for a party." The two run off; a broad grin plastered on Vista's face.

The phoenix gave Ace a reassuring smile and lead him to the captain's quarters. "Took me a while to move in here… It always felt as if someone else should be sitting here." The raven haired man merely nodded and looked around. Though Whitebeard had never used these rooms, it felt as if he had.

"So you're throwing a party to celebrate that our father's murderer is back…?" Marco looked at him, sighing heavily. "If you don't stop talking bullshit like that, I'll kick you over board." The phoenix opened a lamp to light the candle, when a little flame already started to feed from the wax.

The captain turned around and faced his friend again. Ace looked uncomfortable, still standing close to the door. Marco sat on his desk, patiently waiting for Ace to move away from his spot.

"Calm down, Ace. What are you so afraid of..?" Marco had seen this behavior before, when the boy had first joined the crew. The raven haired boy looked over to his captain. A shadow of his trademark grin crossed his features.

"I'm afraid of being alone again; of not having anyone anymore." The sight of the boy, standing there completely forlorn, made Marco's heart ache. He slipped from the desk and made a step into Ace's direction. "Ace, look at me."

The younger pirate looked up, meeting Marco's calm gaze with his own unsure one. Before the blonde knew what he was doing, he had crossed the remaining distance between them.

Softly stoking his thumb over Ace's cheekbone, Marco lost himself in the warm brown eyes of the Mera Mera no Mi user. Ace radiated a comforting heat, healing the pain in the phoenix's heart. Deep down, he knew that he would never really have the kid. But just having him back amongst the living, was more than he could ever have dreamed of.

Ace leaned in to the cool touch of Marco's hand. The contact was in some strange way reassuring. More than words ever could, the cool touch made him realize, that he was home again. Marco was standing behind him, no matter what.

The firefist didn't really know why he was so sure of this, but he was. He just felt it.

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><p>And with this, it is already over again.<p>

Next chapter is almost done and should be up soon.

Read and Review, please - Thanks!

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><p><strong>Edit: <strong>Stupid mistake has been corrected. Thanks to Jumpingbeans480 and Midsummersunshine!


	6. Stupid Ace Being Stupid

Hello again!

I still can't believe that a made such a stupid mistake in the last chapter... Argh!

Thanks again for telling me!

This chapter is just pure stupidity.

Happyness all around. The next one should bring our boys back to reality, though. XDD

Disclaimer: I still don't own them. I mean seriously, you really think I would let Marine Fort happen like that?

Little additional Warning: Reading this chapter contains an overdose of happiness! I am well aware of it. Thanks.

Enjoy!

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><p>A knock on the door startled the two men. Marco quickly took a step back and went to open the door. Raising an eyebrow he looked at the group of people that had gathered in front of his cabin.<p>

Most commanders and about every former member of the Spades pirates were there, curiously trying to get a look over the phoenix's shoulder. Ace looked a little uncomfortable, but somehow managed to smile.

Marco knew what was going to happen, but reacted a second too late. Haruta ducked under his outstretched arm and went to stand in front of the raven haired pirate. Once one had made it into the captain's cabin, the rest pressed forward and the phoenix had no other option than to clear the way for the entrance.

The commanders and Spade pirates grouped around a confused Ace, all grinning. Then the former second in command of the Spade pirates broke though the circle, throwing himself at his captain.

The spell was broken and more pirates followed the example. The raven haired boy found himself in a ridiculous group embrace, looking at Marco for help. But his captain only grinned and watched him struggle with his nakama.

At least this would help convincing the boy, that he was really welcome on the ship. And seeing Ace's face, the raven haired boy began realizing it, too. His grin grew bigger and bigger and then he started laughing loud and freely. The rest joined and for a while the world was perfect.

Then Marco decided that it was about time that he got his cabin back and get some peace. He hushed the pirates out and locked the door behind them. Sitting on his bed, Marco buried his face in his hands, hiding the tears that run down his cheeks.

A few hours later, everyone was on the main deck, enjoying the party. Marco stood at a little distance, watching the spectacle. He would not get drunk, too high was the risk that he would loose control over his feelings.

Ace was completely sloshed within no time. And when the others started laughing at him for not being able to cope with the alcohol, the raven haired pirate explained to everyone listening, that this was caused by a two years break of training.

The phoenix shook his head at the story, knowing exactly that the stupid kid never used to drink too much because even with the best training, he just couldn't handle it.

At some point in time, Izou joined him. The feminine looking commander seemed relatively sober when he leaned against the railing, looking at his captain. "How comes you're not in for the drinking?"

Marco stared over the open water, thinking about his answer. When it took him too long to come up with something, Izou spoke again. "It's not too obvious, just so you know. But there might be some people, namely Vista and Haruta, which will get it."

Before the phoenix could react, Izou was dragged back to the party, as he was requested to help completing the round for some stupid drinking game. Marco swallowed dryly and took a big gulp from his sake.

When the party was about to end, the main deck was covered with unconscious pirates. Marco still stood at the railing and watched his crew. To his surprise, Ace walked over to his place. The kid was still able to walk straight? Maybe he had stopped drinking at some point and was already sobering out.

"They really don't hate me… I still can't believe it." Marco only laughed.

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><p>Well well... I quite like that one, even with all the stupid fluffy atmosphere.<p>

As I said the next chapter (maybe even the next two chapters) should get them back to reality. Hopefully.

My poor Marco.. _  
>I hate to see him suffer. But one needs to know sadness before he can truly acknowledge happyness.<p>

Read and Review, please - Thanks!


	7. Life Wasn't Meant to Be Easy

We reached over 1000 hits... thank you soooooo much *wipes away the tears*

You're just great!

And thanks again for all the lovely reviews! They mean soooo much to me!

And sorry that I didn't upload yesterday. My vacation is over and I'm back in the office.

This also means that I have to somehow get back a 'reasonable' sleeping rhythme, which of course affects my upploading and writing time.

I used to upload around 12pm, a time I cannot keep up anymore.

I'll continue to try uploading on a daily basis, but I just cannot guarantee... Soooo sorry... ;_;

Disclaimer: Still don't own the boy.

Enjoy!

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><p>The next few days showed that not everybody was happy to see the firefist again. Whitebeard's Sons were meeting one of their allies which happened, by bad luck, to be Squardo.<p>

Marco cursed when he realized it. Ace's eyes went wide at the sight of the sail and ship. The raven haired boy was taking step after step backwards until the phoenix held him back.

"First of all, this is an ally. Secondly: If you're not even able to face Squardo, how do you want to face the rest of the world?" Marco's grim expression sent across an additional message. If you're chickening out of this, it's over.

It shred his heart to pieces, but the captain had to do it. Life for Whitebeard's Sons was hard. Sure it had always been tough, even when Oyaji was still there. But compared to now, it used to be easy. Taking care of their islands had become difficult. It wasn't enough to place their flag at a village entrance anymore. They had to visit every freaking island regularly. Hunting for the One Piece had become a mission impossible.

The phoenix watched Ace's expression change from unsure to a desperate determination. The boy needed to overcome the events of Marine Fort. Though so far, Marco didn't get a chance to ask his nakama if he had experienced anything before he came back. If not, this might mean that for Ace, no time had passed since then.

The raven haired pirate gave his captain a nod and walked over to the rest of the second division. He was not standing in the first line, but he wasn't hiding either. Marco was satisfied and stepped over to the railing, waiting for Squardo to arrive.

Maelstrom Spider had already been on board for a few minutes before he noticed Ace. Again it had been the bright orange hat that gave the boy away. Squardo cursed violently, stumbling a few steps back.

He flashed Marco a wild gaze, trying to comprehend what happened. When realizing that the other pirate was no illusion he drew his Katana. The bigger part of the second division immediately drew their weapons. Some were relying on their devil fruit powers, something Marco knew was stupid.

Squardo had mastered Haki, devil fruits were only partially working on him. Marco quietly called for Squardo's attention but without success. The phoenix wasn't worried about Ace's safety. The new commander of the second division was a loyal man and strong enough to keep up with Maelstrom Spider.

The phoenix was more worried about the pirates that hadn't reacted to the threat at all. The captain understood that not all of them were happy to see Ace. And of course some of them were actually scared by the strange reanimation of their nakama.

Marco's attention shifted back to Squardo when the other pirate launched at Ace, immediately met by at least twelve members of the second division. Ace had pulled up a flaming shield around the nakamas behind him. The phoenix lifted an eyebrow. The raven haired man was focused on protection. With his shield he prevented Squardo from getting closer to his friends but also prevented them from getting closer to the invader.

Squardo knocked some of Ace's protectors out and with this, he crossed a line. He was not up to kill anyone, except Ace. But attacking and actually hurting the raven haired man's nakamas was too much. With a furious battle cry, Gol D. Roger's son jumped at the other.

The phoenix was between them in an instant, blocking both the sword and the flaming fist. "_This_ is enough." His voice was low, and dangerous. Squardo stumbled back, suddenly realizing that he was about to repeat the same mistake he had made two and a half years ago.

That day, Marco had sent him away and told him to meet the Black Moby Dick in a year's time. He had obeyed and spent the months grieving about what he had done.

Squardo lowered his sword and fell to his knees. The phoenix gave him a nod and ordered the crew to take care of the wounded. Squardo was escorted to the captain's cabin.

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><p>And over again!<p>

Read & Review, please - Thanks!

Not much to say today. I know Squardo is an easy one to choose as the bad guy...

But I usually try to not include to many OCs... so I somehow had to settle for Squardo as the guy already has this kind of history.  
>I just don't want to change the canon toooo much. Though bringing Ace back is of course absolutely <em>not<em> canon XDD


	8. No Second Chances

Hello my dears!

Here comes the next chapter!  
>Hope you all like it.<p>

Not sure I'll be able to upload tomorrow. Sorry!

Disclaimer: *looks around her flat* No Ace, no Marco. Still don't own the boys.. ^.^

Enjoy!

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><p>When Marco entered his cabin he was met by the sight of a desperate looking Squardo. The phoenix sat down at his desk and signed the other pirate to take the seat opposite him.<p>

"You know what this means, Squardo." The captain didn't like what he had to do, but there was no other option. "Oyaji forgave what you did. And I gave you a second chance. Nevertheless, another chance won't be given. I cannot risk letting you loose on my crew ever again."

Squardo looked up at Marco with tears in his eyes. It hurt Marco deeply to say the next words, but he had no choice. "Maelstrom Spider Squardo, you are herewith no longer an ally of my crew. When approaching my ships without giving a valid reason, this will be looked at as a threat. Now leave."

The ex-ally stood up and walked out of Marco's cabin. The phoenix buried his face in his hands, sighing heavily. He planned to take some rest before facing his crew again. He had made his plan without Ace, though.

The raven haired male entered the captain's quarters without knocking, dragging a rather confused looking Squardo along. "Don't do this!" Marco merely raised an eyebrow.

Fire was leaking from Ace's shoulders, making it clear that the younger man was beyond anger. "Don't ban a loyal ally just because of me." This time, Marco's surprise was obvious.

What had happened: When Ace regained control over his temper, he slowly came to realize what Marco would be up to do. He was up and heading for the captain's cabin within seconds, only to be held back by Jozu.

The second in command gave him an understanding look, but shook his head at the same time. "It is Squardo's fault." Truth be told, it _was _Squardo's fault. Nevertheless, Ace didn't plan to accept it. Yanking free from Jozu's grip, he made his way through the flabbergasted crew.

On his way down, he had crossed Squardo's way and simply dragged him along. And now he stood here, clearly challenging his captain's order. The blond was not too impressed with this. But after all, this was Ace. Since when did that boy give a flying fuck about orders?

With a resigned look, he let the two pirates sit down. Pacing his cabin, sometimes shooting an angry glance at Ace, Marco tried to find a solution for this rather big problem. Ace met his eyes every time, making it clear that he would not step back from his demand.

After a few minutes, the phoenix sat down again. "Ace, you know this is not possible. I cannot allow an obviously dangerous man to come near my nakama again." The raven haired didn't even flinch.

"And I say, seeing someone you don't necessarily like come back from the dead should be able to excuse his behavior. Besides, it's not likely that more dead enemies of Squardo will come back into the living world anytime soon, right?"

The boy's arguments were solid and Marco knew that he know might be able to find a way around banishment. "Leave us alone, Ace. " The words came out as a snarl. The phoenix was not pleased to give in so easily. But the fact that loosing allies was not helping his already bad situation, supported Ace' point.

"If nothing else, this should have proved clearly that Ace is nothing like his father." Squardo nodded. He was rather surprised by the turn of events. Since the day Marco had sent Squardo away for a year, no one had seen the captain being particularly forgiving. And Maelstrom Spider knew well that he had just witnessed something extraordinary.

"It seems there is more in that kid than what meets the eye." Marco gave him a half grin in reply. "You mean besides coming back from the dead..?" Squardo lauged.

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><p>Not much to say to this one.<p>

I know, the Ace/Marco is not really progressing...

I just like to have a propper story and more or less realistic scenario around it.

And this needs time. ^^

Read & Review, please - Thanks!


	9. Meetings

Hello again!

So many of you have been waiting for this.

And now here we are. Whitebeard's Sons meet the Mugiware Crew!

Disclaimer: I don't own them.. Still.

Enjoy!

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><p>A few weeks after Ace's return and the incident with Maelstrom Spider Squardo, the crew stopped by at a small island. On board, things were back to normal. Though Ace didn't get back his second division, as the position was long occupied by someone else the raven haired boy had easily accepted being a normal crewmember again. He was just happy to be back home.<p>

The island they had arrived on was small, but famous for its excellent medical system. The extent to which the people had explored the herbs on their homeland was incredible. The ship doctor wanted to stay on the island for at least a week. He needed time to buy herbs and had to visit the local medical library.

Whitebeard's Sons were planning to fill their supplies on the island. And besides, everyone was really looking forward to have some fun. Islands in the New World were not always comfortable places to be on. Some were actually rather hostile.

Marco was just glad that he would get a chance to bring a little more distance between him and Ace. Their continuous close proximity had wound the captain up. And the raven haired pirate had spent the majority of his time with Marco. Not. Helping!

The captain was in the desperate need of distraction. And given the circumstances, he wouldn't be too picky.

No one expected to meet someone familiar on the island. So when Ace spotted the Thousand Sunny in one of the bays, there was nothing that could hold him back. It could have been a trap but Ace didn't care. He just wanted to see his baby brother – _now_!

Luffy didn't hesitate a second either. Neither expecting a trick of the marine, nor an enemy pirate attack the rubber boy flung himself at his brother, wrapping his arms several times around the other man. His broad grin and the tears in his eyes were mirrored on Ace's face. The two were no blood relatives, but they still looked incredibly similar. Marco blamed it on the D-gene.

In the end, it took the combined forces of Nami, Sanji and Zorro to free the firefist. Luffy's arms got tangled up and wouldn't let Ace escape. Ace was complaining about being back amongst the living only to get imprisoned by his brother for the next few hours.

Marco stood on deck of the Black Moby Dick and watched the rather touching moment. A small smile played on his features. He ignored the stab of jealousy he felt at the sight. They were brothers, for god's sake!

"How is this possible?" Luffy wanted to know after he had released Ace from his crushing embrace. Marco's crew had some when just accepted that there was currently no explanation to Ace's mystical reanimation. Sure, they had tried to find something. But even after more than a month of lazy research, they still had no clue.

The first day on the island was like one big party. Marco's commanders sat together with the Strawhat pirates, exchanging news. Apparently, Luffy was on the mission of finding a new crewmember. But after the icy look from Marco, he had stopped trying to get one of the commanders to join his crew.

At some point, they all went to town, leaving the two brothers to stay behind. Ace and Luffy sat at the fire, shoulder against shoulder. "I'm disappointed, Ace." The rubber pouted and looked up at his older brother. Ace laughed. "Why? Because I was looking for Marco and the others first?"

His little baby brother nodded, but then his face changed and a broad grin spread across his features. "I wonder if Sabo will come back one day, too." Ace looked at Luffy, completely flabbergasted.

His stupid, naïve little brother was right! If he could come back from the dead, then maybe Sabo could too. And maybe even Thatch…

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><p>I sooo hope you liked this one.<p>

'Cause you folk will _hate_ me for the next XDDD

Yes it's already written. Upload tomorrow night!


	10. Marco Time

Welcome back, my dears!

As announced, you'll hate me for this one.

Disclaimer: Still Oda's...

Enjoy

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><p>Marco searched solitude and let the rest of the group go ahead. The black haired woman from the Strawhat crew gave him a look. Nico Robin fell into step and linked her arm with him.<p>

The phoenix raised an eyebrow at her but didn't try to get away. The archeologist was one of the most interesting members of Luffy's crew. Though Marco had originally been up for another type of distraction, maybe a little conversation with this woman would help too.

"Let's go in there, phoenix-san." The woman led him to a small bar on an even smaller road. When turning around the corner, Marco lost sight of his crew and was strangely glad for it. He loved his nakama, really did. But getting some time away from them was a nice change.

They sat down and Nico Robin leaned against him. "How did I get the honor to be kidnapped by the most feared archeologist in the world?" She chuckled lightly. "My dear captain, I am neither blind nor stupid."

Marco sighed and looked at her. "You truly are dangerous, yoi." Two mugs of rum were placed in front of them and soon after, the next followed. At some point, the phoenix just started to speak. Robin sat there listening, still with the first mug.

"I missed him. More than I ever thought I could miss someone. Even more than Oyaji and I have been sailing with that man. For a long time. Years, ages even. And then he was suddenly back. I still can't believe it. The walls I build just crashed the moment I saw him."

It was true. When he had seen Ace and then _felt_ that it was truly him, the same fiery devil ability, the same presence, all had been crushing down on him. The feelings he had tried to forget were back like they had never been away. "And it hit full force." Marco sighed and emptied his mug.

His vision slowly got blurry and the reasonable part of his mind screamed at him to go back to his ship. The black haired woman paid and led him out of the bar. He briefly thought that it should have been he who paid.

They reached the Black Moby Dick pretty easily thanks to Robin's devil fruit ability. She had supported Marco's slightly wobbly walking. The phoenix pointed a finger into the direction of his cabin and she led him there.

He collapsed onto his bed, pulling the black haired woman with him. He rolled over and brought his body to lie above her. She arched an eyebrow at him and smiled. Marco looked at her, his expression slightly pained. "It is a distraction, nothing more, nothing less. Remember?"

At her words, Marco crushed his lips on hers, shutting out the desperate feelings that were his every-day companions. Robin pressed her body against his in the same desperate need.

In the mean time, Ace and Luffy had joined their crews for the party. The night was young still and they would leave a lot of Money in the bars and pups of the small town.

As always when the Strawhat pirates were taking part in a party, the whole thing ended up being one big village fair. Nami and Zoro were engaged in their traditional drinking competition, Usopp told his stories and in the center of all interest were the two D – brothers.

There was no force in heaven or hell that could have separated the two brothers at the moment. The man that watched them was nearly invisible in the shadow of a few trees. His broad grin exposed a row of shiny teeth.

It wasn't time yet. Not quite. Maybe on the next island or the one after. Cause even for him, the whole Whitebeard and Strawhat crew was a bit too much to handle on his own. "Soon, Strawhat, soon I'll get your head. Zehahahaha…" The man dispersed into darkness without noticing the commander that was standing a few trees away.

The laughter set Vista's teeth on edge. Never in his life would he forget that sound. He needed to find Marco. The fourth division commander searched the island for the individual presence he would now recognize everywhere. But the man was no longer here.

He would find Marco in the morning. For now it would be enough if he kept his guard up and continued to search the island for any signs of _his_ reappearance.

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><p>Wait! Don't kill me. Otherwise this is the last scene you can read! ^^<p>

To the pairing: Yes I know, extremely wierd.

But! Can anyone tell me a woman that could keep up with Marco? (except fem!Ace, of course XDD)

She's just mysterious enoug for it. And she _is_ freaking clever!

If I happen to survive the next day, we'll see each other in the next chapter!


	11. Blackbeard

Well, well...

I think most people didn't like the last chapter. But I really sooooooo needed it for the plot.

Without a little kick, Ace would never realize anything.

Disclaimer: All Oda's

Enjoy!

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><p>Marco noticed that he had forgotten to lock the door the moment it was slammed open. A quick look to the side showed him that Nico Robin was still there, the blanket covering her body. She was just waking up.<p>

The captain turned his focus back to the two men standing in his door frame. He felt his stomach clench as he recognized Ace. The young man was unusual pale, looking at Robin with wide eyes.

"Are you guys going to say something anytime soon?" Vista snapped out of his shock state and opened his mouth. But he closed it again without saying a word. Marco sighed and looked at Ace. "What is wrong?" The raven haired looked at his captain. "Vista has seen him. Yesterday night… Blackbeard is somewhere around this island."

Marco was wide awake within the blink of an eye. Blackbeard. The man that had caused so much pain and chaos. Within Marco's crew as well as in the world. Marshall D. Teach was the trigger that caused the Pirate War.

"I'll be on the main deck in five minutes. Where is the rest of the Strawhats? Where is your brother Ace?" Vista gave him a nod before he answered: "They're all on our ship. Some Haki users close by…" The phoenix nodded and shooed the intruders out.

Nico Robin immediately started to collect her cloths and dressed. "Regrets?" Marco asked while he picked some fresh cloths from the closet. Robin gave him a small smile. "Of course not. It didn't mean anything, neither for me nor for you. And judged by his look, it might even have helped you a little."

The captain smiled. "Will it help you too?" She shrugged and said: "If we walk up there together, maybe." Marco opened the door for her, following her out onto the main deck. His crew was too shocked by the news of Blackbeard's sudden appearance to make any remarks. But he saw the mischievous gleam in Haruta and Jozu's eyes. Davy Jones may have mercy on him…

Marco looked over to the Strawhat pirates. Ace's brother didn't seem to understand what exactly his nakama were so shocked about. Robin stepped over to her crew. The navigator gave her a pointed look but didn't say anything.

The green haired swordsman looked like he was up to cut Marco to pieces. If not for him, at least for Nico Robin the night had been worth it. The phoenix had enjoyed this one night stand, but she was not Ace. And never could be.

He forced himself to turn back to the more urgent problems. Namely his former nakama, Blackbeard. "Vista, what happened?" The forth division commander stepped forth and looked at his captain. "I was standing a bit aside the party to catch my breath and then I heard him. You know, that laugh that we all know…"

Marco shivered and wished to have Ace and his fiery heat closer to him. He would never forget this laugh. It had been the last thing he had heard before his father had died.

He looked at Vista with a concerned expression. "You are sure?" He knew his commander wouldn't go for a false alarm if he wasn't sure. And he was sure that they both knew it. The swordsman gave him a humorless smile. "I would recognize this presence everywhere, captain."

The phoenix merely nodded. He shot the Stawhat pirates a worried look. Luffy's Haki was strong, he had heard quite a lot about it. But would it be enough? He doubted that they would agree to sailing with Whitebeard's Sons.

The captain looked at Ace. The boy didn't meet his gaze. Marco frowned. What was wrong with him? But the phoenix shrugged it off. Probably he was just made insecure by the sudden reappearance of his former subordinate.

In a hopeless attempt (any maybe with some tiny little ulterior motives) he turned to the Strawhat. "Would you mind sailing with us for a while?"

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><p>Hope you like that one better..<p>

Too tired to write a long A/N. Almost midnight over here. ^^

Read and Review, please - Thanks!


	12. Sailing Together

Hello my dears!

Here comes the next one.

Hope you like it, though there's not too much action in this one.

Disclaimer: All Oda's

Enjoy! ^_^

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><p>The second in command of the Strawhat pirates was obvious against this idea. Not that Marco would care about the green haired male. He was more worried about the grinning captain. And besides, he thought that Zoro's resistance had more to do with Robin than with sailing together.<p>

"Nope. We have our own adventure." As expected. Stupid Strawhat..! Teach was dangerous. Just the fact that he was able to master two devil fruits showed this. To his surprise, Ace had decided to finally step in. "Luffy, please. Blackbeard is more dangerous than anyone you have faced so far."

The younger of the D- Brothers only laughed. "So far, no one was strong enough to defeat us. We'll get rid of him." The kid was more reckless than it was healthy for him. Marco sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. What had he gotten himself into this time…

Ace looked at his baby brother and was obviously thinking about a reason to convince him to stay. Sure, nothing had beat Luffy so far but Marine Fort had been close enough to it. Though Ace knew that this wouldn't change Luffy's mind.

Robin was now whispering with Nami and Sanji. Soon the orange haired navigator bent over to the cyborg, who stood beside the living skeleton. Luffy grinned up at his brother, obviously not considering changing his mind any time soon.

The whispering continued until Nami raised her voice. "Luffy..?" The rubber boy immediately turned his head to face the orange haired. Marco raised an eyebrow. Apparently the navigator had great influence on her captain. He hadn't realized how close those two were.

Maybe Nami could convince her captain. A few more minutes of intensive whispering and she announced exactly this. "We will sail with you. My Lockport is charged, we will follow our course." Marco raised an eyebrow.

The commanders looked at Marco. He wasn't one to take orders from anyone. But this time he was too worried about Luffy and his crew. Besides he wouldn't be so alone if they stayed close by.

The Mugiwara crew was the craziest bunch of people he had met so far. And Robin really was good company. She would keep him distracted from his dark thought. And he wasn't really referring to sex only. The archeologist was an intelligent woman and he was sure to have a few interesting discussions with her.

And maybe he could even find out something about the current strength of the crew. Marco knew that Luffy was able to use all three types of Haki, but he had no idea about the rest of the crew. And he didn't know if any of Blackbeard's nakama (if you could even call them like that) was able to use Haki at all. Teach couldn't that was for sure.

Additionally the chances that they would find Blackbeard were higher when they sailed together. It wasn't really nice to use the other pirate crew as bait, but it was their only chance. And only together they would be able to defeat them.

Marco was sure the Strawhats were strong, but not strong enough to defeat Blackbeard and his whole crew. Vista had only felt Blackbeard's presence, but that didn't mean that the rest wasn't anywhere close by out on the sea.

In the end, the situation was clear: Neither could Luffy defeat Blackbeard on his own, nor was Marco able to find the traitor without proper bait. He felt a little guilty that he was using Ace's brother like this. But technically he had no other choice.

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><p>Too tired to write a lot again.<p>

Need to get some sleep - Will be a tough day tomorrow.. My boss is back from his business trip and will need a looooooot of stuff from my side.

Hopefully I will be able to upload nevertheless... I'll try for sure!


	13. Jealousy

Here we go again!

First of all: THANK YOU ALL SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!

Over 45 comments and almost 2'500 hits! You are sooo amazing!

I LOVE you, people. Really do. Your feedback means everything to me. You make me so incredibly happy.. ;_;

Btw, I'm ill now. -_-

But still writing as much as I can.

Again, not much happening in this chapter.

Hope you like it nevertheless! ^^

Disclaimer: Oda owns it all

Enjoy!

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><p>Sailing with Luffy and his crew turned out to be more fun than Marco had expected. They were cheering his own nakama up and had some interesting stories to tell. Apparently they had all used their two years very well.<p>

The phoenix was a little surprised when one night Robin told him about her time with Dragon. No details, of course. "So you've spent two years with Luffy's father. The swordsman was with Hawkeye and your captain with the Dark King." Marco laughed. "You are part of a very interesting crew indeed." With a smirk he rolled around and was over her again.

Whitebeard's Sons had been clever enough not to ask Marco about his relationship with the dark haired archeologist. Not that it was a real relationship. The phoenix preferred to say that they were helping each other out.

The green haired swordfighter looked more pissed by day. Though Marco was glad to see that Robin might get what she wanted soon, he also knew that this would bring him back to his lonely suffering.

They were sailing with his brother's crew since three weeks and still no sign of Blackbeard. Ace sat on the railing close to the bow of the Black Moby Dick and stared over the ever present water.

Nami walked over to the firefist and stood beside him. She spent a few hours per day on the Moby Dick and read in their old logbooks. "You seem a little tense these days. That's not really like you." Ace didn't want to talk about it. Hell, he didn't even know what the matter was.

The orange haired smiled. "I see, you don't want to talk about it." She turned around and started to walk away. Then she stopped and looked back at Ace. "You know… The strange thing is that Zoro is acting unlike himself too."

With those words she was gone. The firefist shook his head. He knew what she was implying. But that couldn't be. He wasn't jealous, was he? Even if, why should he? She was not really his type and…

Hang on… What if he wasn't jealous of Marco but of Robin? "Davy Jones may have mercy with me if that's true…" He jumped down from the railing and walked over to the main mast. He would take a nap. It was a hot and sunny day; it seemed they were approaching a summer island.

Marco sat in his cabin and read something when Robin walked in. "I heard we're approaching a summer island." He nodded. And then he realized something. His head snapped up and he stared at her. "How long..?"

"The navigators say we should reach it in two days. Why so shocked, phoenix-san?" The captain sighed and searched his papers while answering. "Teach… I mean Blackbeard always liked summer islands the most. For reasons that we usually ignored, though…"

Robin nodded. "So if he's aware that we're following him, he should be expecting us there." Marco nodded and stood up. He needed to plan their meeting and had to develop a strategy for the fight.

During the last few months, no news about Blackbeard had appeared in the paper. But the time before, News Qu had always carried some information about the traitor. The phoenix grabbed the articles he had collected and walked over to the door. "I need to meet with my commanders and the Strawhat. Is there anyone beside Luffy that is able to use Haki?"

Robin shook her head. "I guess Zoro could learn it, but not within two days. I'll go and get Luffy. We'll meet at the main deck in fifteen minutes." They separated atop the stairs.

Marco was too busy to notice the evil glare Ace shot him from his spot at the main mast. And Ace was too busy convincing himself that jealousy had nothing to do with his bad mood to notice the pain in his heart at the sight of Marco and Robin together.

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><p>Next chapter is already written.<p>

Will be up tomorrow, same time as usual!

I'll go cure my lovely flu now.

Read & Review, please!


	14. The Flaw in the Plan

I have mentioned that I love you all, right?

Good. ^^

Here comes the next chapter for all my dear followers and reviewers.  
>You are the best!<p>

Disclaimer: Still all Oda's

Enjoy!

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><p>Monkey D. Luffy stood at the bow of the Thousand Sunny and watched the summer island rise from the early morning's mist. His strawhat firmly placed on his head, he searched the shore for the familiar figure of Blackbeard.<p>

Their plan was as simple as it was dangerous. And when Luffy extended his consciousness to search the area around the island, he realized that it had a big flaw. He had successfully located his arch-enemy, but no sign of his crew. He frowned and searched the area again.

With a bad feeling in his stomach, he mentally reached behind. He felt his heart clench in fear when he realized that Blackbeard's crew was indeed approaching then from behind.

He reached for the Den Den Mushi hidden at the figurehead the same moment Ace voice sounded. "We know it. Keep focused on the plan." Luffy nodded. Whitebeard's Sons would deal with the crew. His target was Blackbeard.

It had taken them quite a while to convince Ace of the plan. Of course he wanted to go and kill the bastard himself. He wanted revenge for his father and the pain Blackbeard had caused to his family.

But in the end he had to accept that he hadn't cared for his own Haki abilities for too long. He never liked them, because he inherited them from his father. Now he stood on the main deck and watched his brother's ship drive steady for the island.

Whitebeard's Sons were looking in another direction, where black sails came closer by the minute. Ace shot one last glance to the Thousand Sunny and the people he knew were on the ship. Then he forced himself to concentrate on the danger that was affecting him directly.

Though Marco had told him to stay behind, he couldn't. He pushed through the rows of his nakama and positioned himself in the first row. Flames leaked from his shoulders and arms.

Blackbeard's sniper spotted Ace first. "Look at that Q, your little trick seems to have worked out." The doctor answered with a mixture of laughter and coughing, a broad smile crossed his features. "And god let men live and die, just as it pleases him."

When he finished his sentence, unheard by Whitebeard's Sons, blood started dripping from Ace chest. With a terrified look he stared down at his body and watched the red liquid flow down his body.

Then the pain was back and forced him to his knees. He was back at Marine Fort, the burning agony caused by Admiral Akainu's magma attack killing him. Ace's breath came out as a death rattle, his vision all blurry. How was this possible.

Wan Oger laughed icily. "Seems like our dear friend has just faced his creator. Nice work Doc." That was the moment Q let out a chocked caugh and dropped sideways off of his horse. "Q, that's _not_ the moment!"

But the surgeon didn't stand up again. "Raffit, check his pulse." Oger ordered without taking his eyes from the Black Moby Dick. He was used to Q's stupid bouts. Though he wasn't used to see them in such a crucial situation like this. Blackbeard's crew was strong, but Whitebeard's Sons under the phoenix's command would be a tough fight. And being one man short might be the tiny thing that would cause their defeat.

In the mean time, Luffy had almost reached the island. Ignorant to his brother's death struggles, he concentrated on Blackbeard's every move. He couldn't risk letting his guard down for even a second.

"Zehahahahaa, Strawhat. So we meet again. You really think you will be able to defeat me all on your own?" A broad and cocky grin crossed Luffy's features. He jumped from the Thousand Sunny onto the sandy beach. Dark shadows dripped from Blackbeard's body, a confident smirk on his lips.

"Well technically Teach, he's not alone." Blackbeard's head snapped to the Thousand Sunny. Marco and Vista stood at the railing and looked down at him grimly. "Surprise, surprise, bastard!"

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><p>I quite like that one.. I like almost all of the chapters, but this baby here is special.<p>

Tell me what you think about it, please.

Read & Review, thank you!


	15. Lurking in the Shadows behind you

Here we go again!

I overslept today and my cold got worse. Oh joy.

But: I managed a chapter nevertheless. Only for you my dears!

Meeting some old friends in this one!

Disclaimer: Still all Odas!

Enjoy!

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><p>For a short second, Blackbeard looked unsure. Then his mad grin returned and he launched his first strike. Luffy didn't flinch, when the black shadow sped in his direction, stopping dead only inches from the boy's chest. "Zehahahaha… Aren't you scared, Strawhat?" Luffy grinned and launched his first strike.<p>

Marco and Vista watched from the bow of the Thousand Sunny. They wouldn't interfere if not necessary. Marco didn't like to leave his crew behind. He had foreseen that Teach's crew would attack them from the back.

Now he stood on another captain's ship and had to focus on one fight, while another battle was going on right beside his own ship. Marco gritted his teeth when Blackbeard landed his first strike and made Luffy scream in agony.

Vista gripped the handle of his sword tightly. His whole body itched. He wanted to fight; he wanted to _kill_ the traitor. But more than anyone else's fight, it was Luffy's. The little brother had become so strong...

Dark satisfaction rushed through the captain when Blackbeard hurled in agony. The Strawhat had just landed a well-aimed hit in the traitor's guts. The phoenix wasn't one for cold hate and revenge. But hell, this guy was different!

Memories of Marine Fort flooded his consciousness. The blond saw Blackbeard and his new crew emerge from the fog, take aim and kill… Red boiling anger rushed through his veins, ice-cold blue flames flickered over his body.

The next thing he noticed was Vista tensing beside him. Blackbeard had used his second of inattention to start an attack. The deadly shadow was blocked half way by an invisible force.

Marco felt his hair stand on edge at the painfully familiar presence. Then the earth trembled and the presence was gone. Blackbeard's face was distorted with anger and disgust. "_You again..!_" he spat and Marco understood.

"He's here…" His heart skipped a beat as he concentrated on finding this one familiar presence again. His heart ached and he wished nothing more than finding him here and now. Alive.

Meanwhile Luffy and Blackbeard continued their fight. Vista watched them closely. The traitor hardly used his Yami Yami no Mi anymore and instead tried to bring the Strawhat to fall with Whitebeard's power.

Marco hectically looked around as if mere sight would help him here. His consciousness reached out all around him in the desperate need to feel _it_ again. Instead he found something else. A weakly screaming, tortured presence. Behind him. The phoenix's eyes went wide and without a second thought he abandoned the Thousand Sunny. His blue wings carried him back to the Black Moby Dick faster than ever before. No. No! _NO!_

It took all his inner strength to not reach out behind him and check what was going on. Instead Vista stood his ground and watched Blackbeard and Luffy fight. Incredibly but true, the strawhat kid was slowly winning ground.

His rubbery body protected him from the worst effects the Gura Gura no Mi might have had on normal people. And somehow Blackbeard was no longer relying on his Logia power. Vista frowned. Why..?

"You'll never win, Strawhat. What is your one devil fruit power against the combined forced of my two?" Blackbeard obviously needed to catch his breath. He wasn't one to talk a lot during his fights.

But what surprised Vista even more was the broad grin on the rubber boy's face. "Better to have one power and control it properly than having two that you cannot control." Wait. What?

Blackbeard created another earthquake, simultaneously releasing a wash of his shadow power. Again the dark shadows didn't seem to have the desired effect. And this time Vista had felt it.

"Thatch...?"

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><p>Yes, more dead nakamas are back... maybe. O_o<p>

Hope you liked it.

More should be up tmrw.

Read & Review, please. - Thanks !


	16. Thatch

As I told some of you, earlier upload today...

I'm still getting worse, instead of better.

Tomorrow I might not be able to upload. I'll try though.

Disclaimer: All Oda's

Enjoy!

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><p>Ussop had landed a well-aimed shot at one of Blackbeard's crewmembers. Raffit now lay beside Q on the floor unconscious, maybe even dead.<p>

Ace had lost consciousness and they had carried him below deck, where Chopper and Marco's surgeon were trying their best to keep him alive. His body was heavily burnt and the Mera Mera no Mi was making work difficult for the doctors.

"We need Kairouseki…" murmured Chopped, while trying to put out the flames on his hooves for the sixth time. The other doctor looked at him wide-eyed. "That will kill him!" The reindeer gave him a tired look. "Like that we cannot treat him and he will die anyways."

Marco landed on the main deck. Completely ignoring the fight, he followed the red dots that lead him to one of the quarters. Ace lay on a bed, blood still dripping from his wound. Marco felt like he was caught in some freaked out déjà-vu.

"Ace..!" He stumbled around the little reindeer. Desperately he grabbed Ace's shoulders and shook the boy. "Don't do this to me. Not again..!" His voice trembled. It was the same all over again. He couldn't do anything to help his nakama.

He had the power to heal all his own wounds. He was nearly immortal. And nevertheless he couldn't help one single injured friend. The blond buried his face in the white sheets beside Ace's still body, sobbing. "Don't die… Please…"

Luffy was panting. But so was Blackbeard. The traitor had backed away more and more the longer the fight was going on. He stared at his opponent with a mad look on his face. Forcing his Yami Yami no Mi under control once again, he attacked.

Vista stared wide-eyed as the Strawhat run straight for Blackbeard, ignoring the onrushing attack. And then there was this feeling again. The swordfighter saw the shadows part around Luffy and he felt Thatch's presence.

Luffy's fist hit home and left Blackbeard unconscious. The fight was over. But the war was not yet won. Vista quickly closed the distance between the Thousand Sunny and the unconscious traitor, chaining him first with Kairouseki and then with ropes and heavy iron chains.

The rubber boy lay in the sand exhausted. "Thanks…" It was a mere murmur and Vista briefly wondered if it was directed at him. Then he saw the tall figure emerge from nothingness. He dropped the chain he had just been winding around Blackbeard. His jaw fell open.

"Good work, Luffy." The former forth division commander grinned down at the exhausted strawhat. The boy mirrored the grin and said. "Wouldn't have made it without your help…"

Thatch laughed. He grabbed the abandoned chain from the sand and finished Vista's job. "Where's Marco?" The swordsman suddenly remembered the strange behavior of his captain and shot a glance over his shoulder.

Smoke rose from the Black Moby Dick. Searching the sky, Vista saw no sign of the blue phoenix. He faced Thatch and gave him a questioning look. The forth division commander shrugged. "Let's go over there and check."

This was Luffy needed. With a quickly murmured 'Gomu Gomu no Rocket' he was flying across the water, the bundle that was a still unconscious Blackbeard held in his firm grip.

Vista looked at his nakama. "And now tell me what's _really_ going on here." The other man laughed. "If you want to know why I am alive, I'm not. If you want to know what's going on over there, go and take a look."

* * *

><p>Not in the mood for AN.

Good night!


	17. Ace's Death

Thank you all for the lovely wishes!

I'm getting better. Slowly, but still.

Here the next chaper. Hope you like it.

Next one will be up soon!

Disclaimer: All Oda's still

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>„And how do you plan to bring us there? The bird and the rubber boy are already there." Thatch shrugged again. He walked over to the Thousand Sunny and jumped on the deck. "We'll have to take the ship, I guess."<p>

Luffy's arrival scared the living daylight out of the Blackbeard pirates. It was more the fact that he dragged along their unconscious captain then the way he joined the fight. Whitebeard' Sons and the Mugiwara pirates had taken almost all their opponents down. One was still standing, but didn't need to hope for a win.

Under deck, Chopper and the other surgeon tried their best to keep Ace alive. Beside their desperate fight for the boy's life, they also faced the problem that Marco was a mere sobbing bundle beside the bed. The reindeer feared that he would collapse completely soon.

The rubber boy was helping Whitebeard's Sons to chain the Blackbeard crew. He hadn't really realized his brother's absence yet. Too exhausted to keep his Haki on high alert, he just helped the others out.

When all enemies were chained and embed in the cell of the Black Moby Dick, Luffy finally realized that Ace was missing. "Where's Ace?" His nakama were looking at him unsure, no one of Marco's crew met his gaze.

"Where is my brother?" A wave of Haki washed over the crew and let some tremble. Nami was the first to speak. "There…" She pointed in the direction of the lower deck where Ace should be lying.

Robin followed him slowly. She had seen Marco go in there, but not come out again. She didn't have feelings for the man. But she was worried. If anyone knew how much the fire boy meant to Marco, then she did. It was the same burning, destroying passion that she felt.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!" Luffy's desperate scream echoed over the water. Whitebeard's sons knew the sound. The same desperate scream hunted the dreams of those who still had nightmares of the pirate war.

Marco's head snapped up, he stared at Ace. He, too, knew the scream. He would never be able to forget the moment he thought his heart had stopped. No. Not again. Not here…

It was the moment Thatch and Vista reached a point from which they could jump over onto the Black Moby Dick. Thatch ran the moment his feet touched the planks. He ignored the shocked looks of his former crew and practically flew under deck.

Chopper was trying to calm Luffy down, while the other surgeon was desperately whispering to Marco. The rubber boy was obviously out of it. He didn't react to Thatch's presence, the phoenix did. He looked past his doctor and stared at his former nakama.

Thatch just gave him a quick nod and strode over to Ace's bed. He gripped for the younger's shoulders, bent down and whispered in his ear. Marco watched him with a desperate hope. Thatch was here. Maybe this was enough… Maybe this time… Maybe

Ace took a ragged breath and opened his eyes. He frowned. "Thatch?" "Welcome back, little brother." The fire fist flung his arms around Thatch's neck and hugged him tightly. "You're back. You're _here_!"

The former commander sighed. "I'll have to leave again soon. The dept is paid. Your life against theirs." Ace stared at him confused. What did he mean by this? "What..?"

* * *

><p>No, I didn't kill Ace.<p>

See, I'm not _that_ evil.

Read and Review, please - Thanks!


	18. A Dept to Pay

My dears,

Thanks again for all your lovely reviews! And for adding the story to your alerts!

It really means a lot to me! 3

More implied parings in this one.. Nothing bad, though!

Disclaimer: Oda owns it all

Enjoy!

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><p>„Blackbeard's crewmember, Doc Q, cheated. He brought someone back from the dead without paying for him. The only option I had was to make a deal with Davy Jones."<p>

Thatch shrugged it off as if it was nothing special. Nico Robin leaned against the door frame, listening. Luffy had woken from his one personal living hell and once again wrapped his arms around Ace. The fire first hissed in pain. He wounds were healed, but it felt as if he had a few bruises.

The rubber boy didn't listen to Thatch, but Marco did. "What's the deal?" The former commander laughed uncomfortably. "Look. You don't really wanna know, 'kay?"

Marco slapped him. "Just fucking tell me already." Thatch sighed and nodded. He dragged the phoenix away from the group. The rest of the Strawhats and Whitebeard pirates didn't need to know this.

"If I could bring them Doc Q and with him the rest of Blackbeard's crew, he would leave Ace in peace. We'll have to kill them. All of them. Otherwise he will personally come for him." Marco shivered.

"Exactly. And the last time this happened, it was _not_ healthy for the world. It took one hundred years to recover from…" "Wait. You mean this happened before? Someone was brought back from the dead?"

Thatch nodded. "Doesn't really matter. Could happen quite often. You just need the right formula and someone who is willingly scarifying himself. Piece of cake, really."

Marco let his head fall back against the wall. This was a little too much information. He closed his eyes. "What will happen with you?" Thatch sighed. The phoenix opened one eye and looked at his nakama. "I was sent back to help out. I can control the Yami Yami no Mi to a certain extend, because it belonged to me once."

The captain sighed and focused his gaze on Thatch. "So you will have to go back." Thatch nodded. "It's ok, Marco." The phoenix shook his head smiled sadly. "It's not. But there's nothing I can do about it, right."

Thatch gave him a peck on the cheek and in the same swift move he bent down to whisper: "I'll disappear the moment the last of Blackbeard's crew are dead. Playing for time will not save us, though."

Marco stared at him confused. Completely ignoring the words said, he met Thatchs gaze. "You… When…" The other pirate smiled. "Always, Marco. But it doesn't matter anymore. Don't load sorrows on your shoulders that are long gone. Literally!" He laughed and went back to Ace's bed. "Hey, little brother. You'll take care of the stupid captain, will ya?" Marco blushed heavily. That moron wouldn't…

Thatch didn't. He gave the fire fist a smile and left the cabin. Marco met Robin's eyes. The archeologist smirked and pointed at his shoulder. He looked down just in time to see an ear disappear from his collar. That woman was a little too dangerous for his taste.

He walked over to her and put an arm around her waist. "We'll have to talk about this, dear." Marco led her thorough the corridor into the direction of the main deck. Robin shot a glance over her shoulder to see Ace (still wrapped in rubbery arms) looking back at her with a murderous stare.

"My dear captain, we should end this game. Otherwise I'll end as grilled archeologist." Marco shook his head. He was a little too confused at the moment to worry about Ace. A few hours ago, he wouldn't have believed there was anything that could distract him from the fire fist. He was wrong.

"How do you plan to get it over with?" Marco sighed. "I have no idea…"

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><p>I'm getting really fond of this Marco - Robin relationship ^^<p>

If the Mugiwara crew and Marco ever meet again in canon, I'll write a story on the paring. For sure!

Here you have the explanation.

It's not like it's anything special. But seriously... Why shouldn't there be a formula to reanimate people?

We have no idea what the new world will bring, right?

I know, Marco/ Ace is not really improving. BUT... it will. Soon.

Read & Review please. - Thanks!


	19. All Problems Solved  Not

Well well, here we go again.

I was really productive last night. XD

The next 4 chapters are already written. And with this, most of the story is done.

But I had a very interessting new idea already again... (And my fem!Ace/Marco is not even up yet)

Disclaimer: Still Oda's

Enjoy!

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><p>In the end, it was a quick and ugly affair. Thatch gave Marco one last, bright smile and vanished. The captain felt a single tear run down his cheek. If only they never found this devil fruit. Or if Thatch had claimed it and took a bite immediately…<p>

"It doesn't help to think about what could have been, phoenix-san." Robin wiped the tear away in a swift move, without anyone noticing it. Marco shook his head. "Are you now also able to read my mind, yoi?" She laughed and somehow managed to cheer him up.

Later that day, they sat together on the railing. She leaned against Marco and hummed Bink's Sake. "I really like you, Robin. Not like him, don't worry. I just like your company." He felt her chuckle more than he heard it.

Ace watched them from his spot on in the crow's nest. He usually didn't mind to be on duty. Well, he hadn't until he had seen the two sitting there. Nami's words echoed through his mind. What if she was right?

The fire fist closed his eyes and sighed. Yes, what if. Opening his eyes again he focused on Marco. He let his gaze wander over the stupid pineapple haircut, the high collar of the violet shirt. Marco had his arm around the archeologist's waist again. Robin's head leaned on his shoulder.

Ace only realized how mad he was when he noticed the orange glow. He quickly forced his devil fruit power under control. Ok, he was mad at Marco. He was their captain, after all. He should be leading the crew and not wasting his time with this woman. Besides it was unfair for the rest of them, as they had to wait for the next gangway to get what they needed… "Who am I trying to fool right now?"

Another voice echoed through his mind and made him sigh. Thatch... He had known it. A tiny little mini-part of him was a teeny-weeny bit glad that the former commander was not on the ship anymore. "I would never hear the end of it…"

Facing the facts, he would have to leave nevertheless. Now that he had realized, he wouldn't be able to look Marco in the eye. Sighing heavily he leaned back and watched the night sky. After two and a half years he had come back from the dead and found his family again. And now he had to leave them.

He had been able to live without them before. He could do it again. It would be a pain and he would feel lonely. The Marine would be more dangerous than ever. "Sounds like fun…" Ace murmured and felt his heart break.

He would miss the Black Moby Dick, more than anything. And about Marco… It couldn't be helped. If only he had never realized his feelings. "Stupid Thatch..!" Yepp, blame it all on the forth division commander. The fire fist closed his eyes. Who cared about night watch anyway?

On the railing, Robin and Marco were talking in low voices. "Thatch was a brave man. And a clever one." Marco sighed. "I never noticed it. And fell for a kid that doesn't feel anything for me."

Robin looked up at him. "I don't think so, and you know that. I told you before. Maybe Ace doesn't realize, but he sure as hell _has_ feelings for you." The phoenix laughed. He jumped off the railing and walked towards the stairs. "You coming?"

The archeologist followed him, rolling her eyes. Stupid man. But he would realize one day, that she was right. One day… If only her swordsman would be as easy to read. There was hardly a person to who she couldn't figure out. Zoro definitely was one of them.

Nami tended to say that it was because she had a thing for the green haired male. Maybe this really was the reason.

* * *

><p>We made it!<p>

Ace finally realized his feelings. ^^

Thatch's already gone again. I really like him, but he just didn't have more to say to this story.

Read & Review, please - Thanks!


	20. Where Is Ace

We get closer to the finish by day...

Here an oversize chapter for you!

Disclaimer: Oda owns it all

Enjoy!

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><p>A few days later, they reached an island. Marco let his crew loose on the poor city and decided to finish the reports he had been ignoring for the last months. With a cheeky grin Robin had wished him a pleasant evening. Evil woman she was…<p>

The phoenix was in the middle of a boring report on more effective storing when he heard footsteps on the deck above. No one was supposed to be on the ship anymore. Who was this?

Marco put the quill aside and stood up. It didn't really matter who it was. And he didn't care. But it could also be an intruder and he had to check. Avoiding all unnecessary noise the phoenix tiptoed to the upper floor.

The _intruder_ turned around the corner and collided with Marco. The muttered curses made it clear who the phoenix was dealing with. He grabbed the boy's shoulders and held him still. "Ace, what are you doing here?" The cursing grew louder.

Perfect. He should have made sure that Marco was really going to the city with that woman before trying to get away. Even without using Haki the phoenix always knew when someone was trying to sneak around his ship. Davy Jones knew how he did it…

"Ace. What are you doing here? You should be in town with the others, yoi." The fire fist cursed some more but decided that he had no other choice than answering. His captain wouldn't let him get away without proper explanation. "Was just on my way there…"

"With your kitbag?" More cursing. The kid was getting boring. "And why are _you_ here and not in town with Robin and the others?" Marco raised an eyebrow. Since when had this anything to do with Robin..?

Throwing the bag in a corner Ace muttered: "Better?" He yanked free from Marco's iron grip by turning his whole arm into a burning mass. He was up the stairs before the phoenix could say another word. The captain followed him with his eyes, subconsciously healing the burnings on his hand with his own fire. Shaking his head, Marco returned to his cabin and to the paperwork. He would deal with the fireboy tomorrow.

The next day came with a raging headache for most of the pirates. When Marco got up and started looking for Ace, no one had seen him. In the hope of finding a reasonably communicative person, he walked over to Nico Robin.

The woman stood at the railing of the Thousand Sunny with her coffee cup. She didn't turn around when Marco approached her. By now she knew the sound of his footsteps well enough to recognize him by it. "Nami got Zoro so freaking drunk that he declared he was up to kill you." She chuckled lightly. "I fear our little agreement it herewith over. But as out crews will choose different paths from here on, it would have come to an end either way." Marco smiled. This was good and about time. "Have you seen Ace yesterday?"

Robin looked at him. "Why..?" The phoenix sighed and rubbed the brink of his nose. "I… run into him when he was about to leave the ship with his kitbag. He said he was on his way to town, but I wouldn't believe him."

The dark haired woman frowned. "I held his arm and he turned it into flames to get free. I haven't seen him since then." She gave him an understanding smile. "The kitbag?"

"Still in the corner he tossed it into yesterday night, yoi." Nico Robin handed over her half-empty cup and turned around to face him. "Have you tried Haki, phoenix-san?" The flabbergasted look he gave her was answer enough. She laughed.

The next moment the cup dropped to the floor. A black blade was held to Marco's neck. It wasn't like the blade could hurt him. The second in command of the Strawhats couldn't use Haki. Nevertheless it was not a pleasant feeling so early in the morning.

Robin let a hand grow from Marco's shirt and gently pushed the sword aside. "This is neither necessary nor particularly clever, Zoro" The swordsman only snarled. "What a shame. I like coffee in the morning." Ignoring the blade that cut his flesh, Marco turned around. Blue flames embraced the black metal, reflecting on the blade.

"I was talking to a friend, marimo." The green haired snarled but took the blade back. "Wise move, kid." Ignoring the murderous look, Marco searched with Haki for Ace. Robin stepped to Zoro's side and put a hand on his shoulder. He relaxed immediately. She knew how impulsive the other man was. She should have foreseen this reaction. When Marco suddenly frowned she left Zoro's side again. The green haired man answered this move with a snort.

"Marco, what's wrong?" The blond looked at her, suddenly confused. "I know where he is. But…" His gaze locked with Robin's. "He's almost out of my reach... He must have left the island after I ran into him tonight."

* * *

><p>Yes... more ZoroRobin ^^

And stupid Ace..

Read & Review, please - Thanks!


	21. Race across the Water

I also upload a little 1000+ One-Shot inspired by all the horribly sad Marco/Ace pictures on tumblr...

Technically it should be a brithday present for Marco. It turned out really sad, though. So I will have to write a more happy one ^^

Disclaimer: All Oda's

And now enjoy!

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><p>Robin laughed. „Well off you go then. You won't let him leave, will you?" Marco shook his head in resignation. "I cannot keep him here if he doesn't want to be here, yoi."<p>

Zoro muttered something about Luffy and _never accepting this __**ever**_. Robin just smiled at Marco. "Ever thought about the reason why he left?" The phoenix shook his head. How should he know? "Oh Marco! He's jealous. And he can't stand seeing us together anymore."

The captain gave her a puzzled look. "But our ways are separating here anyways. He wouldn't…" The archeologist gently put a finger on his lips. "Go look for him. And ask him. I won't explain his issues to you. That's something between you and him. Now, go!"

Marco bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, for everything. And good luck with the marimo." Before the swordfighter could stab him and accidentally learn Haki in the process, Marco took off, blue feathers covering his burning body.

The water was flying past below the phoenix. He flew as fast as he could, knowing exactly that if Ace managed to sail out of his Haki's reach, he had no hope in hell of ever finding him. He was nervous. And he didn't know what he should say when he managed to reach Ace. _If_ I manage to reach him, he thought.

Zoro had his arms around Robin while they watched the phoenix disappear. "You like him, right?" She laughed. "Of course I do. He's an intelligent man. And a good leader." Turning around in Zoro's arm, she looked at him. "But when it comes to feelings, he's a stupid and slow-witted as you."

"So no need to be jealous?" Another laugh. "Of course not, Zoro. We were helping each other out and became friends along the way." He nodded and held her a little closer. "It was driving me insane…" Zoro muttered before kissing her.

Marco was slowly getting closer to Ace's presence, but he already felt the exhaustion. He wasn't used to long distance flights anymore, and especially not with such speed. His biggest fear was that the fire boy would sense his presence and speed up.

The phoenix was strong, but by now he was already flying for several hours. He hadn't slept a lot the night before and had to keep up an extreme tempo. What he didn't know was that Ace had indeed felt him.

The fire user wasn't as experienced in recognizing other people's presence, mainly caused by his lack of training. He would have to catch up in this on the next occasion. Nevertheless there was no question on who was there behind him.

First of all he knew _Marco's_ presence. He had spent so much time with the phoenix and Thatch that there was no chance he would mistake him for another. Secondly no one except the phoenix would be able to get anywhere close to his ship in such a short time.

Obviously the captain had noticed his absence too early in the day and had still been able to sense him in the distance. Curse over his bad luck…

Another two hours went by and Marco's burning form came in sight. Ace tried to speed up a little more, get away a little faster. But it didn't help. The phoenix was getting closer and closer. Ace looked backwards, trying to keep Marco away by mere will power. Not helping, of course.

The phoenix had almost reached the little ship when his strength left him. If he wouldn't land somewhere anytime soon, he would drop like a stone into the water below.

Ace saw how Marco's flight suddenly became unsteady. The phoenix dropped a few meters before he could catch himself again. The fire boy didn't believe it possible, but his strong and unbending captain faltered. He turned his boat.

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><p>Jepp, cliffhanger. Sorry people ^^<p>

Take a look at 'Fly' - will be up tonight.

Read and Review, please - Thanks!


	22. You

Here we go again!

Things start mooooving... And sadly with this, the story also comes closer to an end.

Disclaimer: You know it by now, right?

Enjoy!

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><p>Ace had to reach out, almost dropping into the ocean himself, to catch the falling bird in time. Now an unconscious blue zoan creature lay on his boat. Ace sat there, leaned against the mast and waited. He had struck the sail long ago. Marco's feathers were dull, not the bright blue Ace was so used to.<p>

"What are you doing here, captain?" Marco opened an eye slowly. Confused. The phoenix lifted his head and looked around. Every move was so much slower than he wanted it to be. What had happened? Finally, after several blinks he recognized Ace.

Mobilizing some strength, Marco changed back to his human form. With some difficulty he then lifted himself up into a sitting position. Leaning against the small railing he looked at Ace with tired eyes. "So you didn't let me drown in the end, yoi?" "Was tempting…"

Ace voice betrayed his cruel comment. "Will you come back with me now?" Ace shook his head. Marco sighed. He was so tired… "Why did you even leave in the first place?"

Ace didn't meet his gaze. "Ace, look, I'm tired, ok. Just tell me what's wrong and I'll see what I can do about it once we're back." The fire fist sighed and shook his head once more. "I won't come back."

The phoenix closed his eyes. "Tell me at least why you don't come back, yoi." He wasn't in the mood for the stupid games. And he seriously wasn't in the mood to play this kind of game.

"Why did you do that..?" Marco opened his eyes again. Ace looked at the open sea. "Why did I do what?" The other man didn't speak for a long time. Marco had closed his eyes again and was almost asleep when Ace spoke again.

"Robin…" The phoenix looked at him with sleepy eyes. "Simple. We were helping each other out. Nice side effect: Zoro got jealous and decided to admit his feelings for her." A humorless smile crossed his features. If only this had worked for him as well.

"And what did you get..?" Ace was pissed. Marco got that much, but he didn't know why; didn't allow himself to hope for the only possible option. "Nothing. Or not much… And now let me sleep. If there's anything you need to tell me, it can also wait until later." He rolled up against the railing and fell asleep within no time.

Ace checked his Lockport. As expected it still pointed to the island where the Black Moby Dick anchored. Sighing he set sail. In this state, Marco couldn't fly. Additionally he didn't have a Lockport to go back to the island. Turning the boat around, Ace headed into the direction he came from.

The sun had set already when Marco woke up. Ace was sailing continuously forward, following the Lockport. The phoenix sat up. "Coffee would be nice…" He heard Ace chuckle, the other pirate lighting his arm up to illuminate the surrounding area. "Sorry. No such comfort here."

"That's bad, yoi. 'Cause you'll have to give me something in refund." Marco grinned. Some of his strength was back and he could light some blue flames along his arms. "And that'd be?" "The truth."

The atmosphere changed immediately and the tension was thick in the air. "You… The reason was you." The blond felt his heart clenched. Had it been a member of another division, or even one of the second, the problem could have been solved within minutes. A problem with the captain though, was more difficult. "What have I done..?"

"Nothing. Just being you. You, with you're stupid haircut. You, with your tattoo that's still where it belongs. You. You all over. Everything about you." Ace didn't look at him. "And what can I do to help you with this?"

Ace hadn't intended to answer. And sure as hell not with what he said in the end. "Kiss me." Marco stared at him wide-eyed. Ace blushed.

* * *

><p>I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of the last part... It's really standart and oooold. But it's still fun ^^<p>

Listen up, dear readers:

I have two more chapters, then this story is over! But I also face a problem with them.

Two and a Half Years is rated 'T', but the coming chapters (specially Nr. 24) are 'M'

**Question for you:**

I can either cut the two 'M' parts out, or put the raiting up.

Having the adult parts cut out will lessen the word count significantly and therefor shorten the remaining story to ONE CHAPTER only.

What do you prefer?


	23. And Me

Not much to say to this one...

I have no talent for adult... _

Adult part will be seperated from the main story by this: **x-x-x-x-x**

Disclaimer: All Oda's...

Enjoy (I hope.. _)

* * *

><p>„Fuck…" The boy murmured. Marco was up and across the small deck within the blink of an eye. He pinned Ace against the main mast. "Say this again." He tried <em>not<em> to beg. He really tried. "Fuck..?"

Marco smiled coldly. "The other thing, Ace. What can I do to bring you back?" The fire boy turned his head to look somewhere else than at his captain. Marco bent down and pressed his lips on Ace's exposed neck. The young pirate gasped at the contact. "Marco, what..?"

"Isn't that exactly what you wanted?" The phoenix placed a few more kisses on the boy's neck, wandering upwards. Inches below the earlobe he stopped. Slowly he licked the remaining way up and bit Ace's ear. "Ace..?"

The other pirate shivered. He wasn't talking still, though. Marco stepped back, bringing a little air between their bodies. Ace still didn't look at him. The phoenix just waited. The kid was one of those that couldn't keep their mouth shut, even if their life depended on it. A few moments passed, then Ace turned his head and looked at Marco again.

"No. What I wanted…" He took his captain's face between his hands. "What I wanted, is this." The kiss knocked the breath out of Marco. It was deep and sensual, passionate. The phoenix put his arms around Ace, pulled him closer. He let his tongue wander along the younger's lips, begging for entrance.

Ace parted his lips, further deepening the kiss. He arched his body closer to Marco's, feeling the other. He had realized his feelings not even a day ago and now he felt like he had all he ever wanted. Well, maybe he wanted to go home. But that could wait.

The fire boy slipped his hands under Marco's shirt removing the piece of clothing with one swift move. Without hesitation he continued his way downward, removing the sash and belt. Their lips never parted while Marco now opened the buckle of Ace's belt, opening the trousers on the way.

Ace broke the kiss and started exploring Marco's neck. His lips were hot on the phoenix's skin. A low growl escaped his throat. The next moment his lips were on Ace's again. Marco sighed into the kiss. This was so much more than he ever dreamed of.

They parted in need of air, both panting. "That's what I wanted…" Ace whispered.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Marco grinned. "I'll give you a little extra, because you didn't let me drown earlier today." He pushed Ace down onto the wooden planks. A quick kiss on the lips, then he started a trail downwards, following the collarbone and then continued further southwards.

He took a nipple between his lips, sucking and biting the sensible flesh. Ace arched into the touch, moaning lowly. Marco smiled and continued his way down. The fire fist's breath was ragged by the time the phoenix arrived at his hipbone.

While leaving a mark (that wouldn't last anyways, of course) Marco removed the last piece of annoying clothing, exposing Ace completely to the cool night air. "Marco, wait. What…" The rest of the sentence was lost in a suppressed scream as the phoenix had taken his length between his lips and sucked – hard.

His hands flew to Marco's head and grabbed the blond hair. Moans and low screams filled the night air. That stupid captain sure had talent for this. He let his tongue wander along the sensible skin before releasing the hot flesh from between his lips.

The disappointed moan he got in return was music to his ears. Marco placed a hand at the base of the throbbing cock while taking the tip back between his lips. His tongue traced along the soft skin. He began sucking lightly while moving his hand up and down the whole of Ace's length.

Ace's grip on his hair got stronger with every lazy move. But the phoenix knew what he was doing. This was pure torture. Only by this, the other man would never find his release. A suppressed whimper made Marco chuckle. Ace gasped at the soft vibration going trough his member.

Letting his hand rest against Ace's thigh, the phoenix took once again the boy's whole length in. The fire fist was panting and moaning, his whole body shivering "Marco… I…" The phoenix would have smirked, if he could. Instead of stopping, Marco intensified is effort. With a last guttural scream Ace came, digging his fingers into the blond strands.

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><p>*hides behind a chair*<p>

Read & Review, please - Thanks!


	24. We

My dear readers, you have reached the end!

Herewith I proudly present the 24th and last chapter of 'Two and a Half Years Later'

Adult starting right at the beginning. The end will be after the **x-x-x-x-x**

Not a lot there, though.

Disclaimer: Still all Oda's

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Marco lay down beside Ace, waiting for the other man to catch his breath. "I like the extra." The fire fist murmured after a while. Marco's soft laughter sounded as he turned to the side and looked at the other pirate.<p>

Ace turned his head and met the phoenix's gaze. The other man still wore his pants and Ace briefly wondered where they stood now. Marco lifted a hand and brushed a black strand behind Ace's ear. "What about you..?" The blond smiled softly. "You decide."

The blush on Ace's cheek was cute; even more so as the cocky pirate was hardly ever shy. Carefully he moved a little closer tracing Marco's muscles with his fingers. Then a broad grin emerged on his face and the next moment he was over Marco, sitting on the older man's hips. The phoenix raised an eyebrow at him, smiling. This was more like the Ace he knew.

Ace bent down and kissed Marco. Carefully first, he deepened the kiss, even risked a little battle that he promptly lost. The fire fist broke away and smiled down on the blond. He grinded down along the body below him, a motion that elicited low hisses from the phoenix.

Marco's eyes fluttered shut and he took a stuttering breath. He didn't give a flying fuck about where Ace had learnt all those things he knew. Momentarily he was just glad that the boy knew them. Ace's tongue felt like pure fire on his skin. The other pirate had partially lost control over his devil fruit, his fingers leaking flames. Hadn't it been for his own devil fruit ability, this might have been rather unpleasant. But like this, the fire on his skin was an exciting and arousing new experience. When Ace suddenly hesitated, Marco woke from his emotional high.

The fire fist had arrived at the rim of Marco's trousers, not sure whether he should continue or not. The phoenix decided that it was about time to take the lead back. He switched their positions again, kneeling over Ace once more. He kicked his trousers off together with his boxers.

He traced his fingers along Ace's jaw line and over to his lips. Gently he pressed two digits against the soft lips. The younger pirate gave him a wary look. Marco smiled, kissing his temple. "Don't worry. We'll do nothing you don't want..." A mere whisper, giving Ace the needed reassurance and he opened his lips.

The blond had to close his eyes to avoid losing control over his body then and there. It was useless though; the picture had already imprinted itself in his mind. Ace lips were warm, his tongue licking Marco's fingers, sucking gently. This was a little too much for his hungry mind. Withdrawing the fingers from Ace's hot mouth he gave the other pirate one last look.

Ace nodded and Marco pressed a first finger at his entrance. The feelings Marco evoke in him when adding the second finger and carefully beginning to move were almost good enough to cover the pain that came next. The phoenix was gentle and really careful. But there were some things that couldn't be avoided, no matter how careful someone was.

The phoenix spread butterfly kisses over Ace's body, his hands trailing along the other's sides. Ace relaxed and soon the pain was replaced by a feeling that let him see stars and set his body on fire in a whole new way.

"Marco..!"

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

When they woke up the next morning, they were far from their original course. Marco was playfully lecturing his nakama while Ace tried to find his second boot. The phoenix had easily found all his clothing. Though the shirt had been a little tricky, 'cause Ace had almost thrown it over board.

"Marco..?" The phoenix murmured a _'hm'_ in reply. He lay on deck and enjoyed the sun. "What are we now?" Marco laughed. "What would you like us to be?"

Ace adjusted the sail and looked down on Marco. "What we were tonight… What we are now." The phoenix stood up and stepped over to the main mast. He cupped the younger's face in his hands. A gentle smile tugged at his lips, when he placed a soft kiss on Ace's forehead. "Then this is what we are. And now let's go home."

The fire fist flung his arms around Marco, laughing happily and almost crushing the other man in his embrace. The whispered words were lost in a sudden gust of wind, but it didn't matter. They didn't need words to know, to _feel_ what was there.

* * *

><p>And this is it. Nothing more to come...<p>

I wanted to thank you all for reviewing, reading and following. Reading your comments (first thing in the morning) made my last few weeks. It means everything!

This story was originally planned to be rather short and uncomplicated. With the motivation your reviews gave me, 'Two and a Half Years Later' became something much bigger. Thank you.

Because of your reviews I found the courage to publish my first adult content, something I postponed many many times.

For those who would like to read more Ace/ Marco or OP in general, here my futur plans:

- fem!Ace/ Marco. First draft is done, upload will start Sunday in a week. (No title yet... damn! _)

- Ace/Marco one shot. Thatch's playing a rather important role here. Half finished. Might come befor fem!Ace/Marco (Working title is rubbish..)

- Law/Kidd, longer story. Fist chapter started, will be published after or parallel with fem!Ace/Marco. (Changing Me)

Another idea ghosting through my mind is a Highschool AU... I kind of got an obsession for those, even though I never liked them before. But seeing Law, Ace and Marco in a school is just too funny.

**Thank you once again! Your reviews and favourites mean the world to me!**


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